Guidehouse lands $12B ICBM support contract

McLean-based consultancy Guidehouse has won a contract valued up to $12 billion for systems engineering supporting the Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic missiles fleet, although the initial contract awardee has filed a protest.

The single-award contract, announced Feb. 28 by the Defense Department and April 15 by Guidehouse, is the Integration Support Contract 2.0. Guidehouse was one of five companies competing for the contract, according to the Pentagon. The original contract holder, a subsidiary of Falls Church-based BAE Systems Inc., has filed a protest.

Under the 18-year contract, Guidehouse will support the current generation of land-based ICBMs — the Minuteman III — and its replacement, the Sentinel. The transition of 400 combat-capable nuclear missiles and support infrastructure will take nearly a decade, according to a news release.

“The new Sentinel must be acquired in a manner that allows the Air Force to own the technical baseline with full transparency and data rights, as well as control costs and schedule in a single-source environment,” Charles Beard, Guidehouse’s chief operating officer, said in a statement.

The contractor will provide a range of systems engineering and integration services and professional services, including administration, business analysis, cybersecurity, digital engineering, finance, mission effectiveness, program management, risk management and other services.

“These deterrent assets are at the vanguard of our nation’s defense, as well as that of NATO and other allies around the world,” Guidehouse CEO Scott McIntyre said in a statement. “We are proud of the Air Force’s selection of Guidehouse to be its partner in such a vital mission.”

Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and other locations and is expected to be completed by Aug. 27, 2042. Guidehouse expects to begin its staffing on the contract with nearly 1,000 full-time employees on-site at the Air Force base and at the company’s new office in Clearfield, Utah, according to a news release.

Rockville, Maryland-based BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services, a subsidiary of Falls Church–based BAE Systems Inc., won the original Integration Support Contract in 2013 and then won the recompete (ISC 2.0) in 2022. But, Guidehouse and Tennessee-based Jacobs Technology protested the award, and the Government Accountability Office recommended that the Air Force reevaluate proposals and “perform a new best-value tradeoff.” In March, BAE Systems filed a protest with the GAO of the award to Guidehouse.

Guidehouse employs more than 16,000 people across 55 locations around the globe. In 2022, the company opened its new McLean headquarters, moving from a previous location near the White House in Washington, D.C. In December 2023, Bain Capital Private Equity closed its acquisition of Guidehouse.